Wu Ling cleared an open space in the grass, then took a knife and chopping board from his storage ring. He removed the scales and organs, scooped water from the nearby river to wash the meat, cut the serpent body into pieces, lit a fire, heated oil, and moved through the entire process in one smooth flow.
After a round of stir-frying, the braised serpent meat was ready.
"Grandpa Ghost, come out and eat."
A person moved without stirring the wind. Ghost suddenly appeared at Wu Ling's side, his movement producing not even a breeze.
"As expected of a Titled Sage. If I had not already learned Mind's Eye, I might not react even if my head left my body in the next second."
While marveling inwardly at Ghost Sage's strength, Wu Ling placed the plate of braised serpent meat in front of him.
The two ate in silence. Only after they finished did Ghost say faintly, "It tastes good. Your cooking has improved again."
"Thank you for the praise, Grandpa Ghost. After my sword skill improved, my knife work improved too. And because of Mind's Eye, even when I meet an ingredient for the first time, I can roughly tell where to begin cutting."
Ghost nodded slightly. He did not think there was anything wrong with Wu Ling using a Spirit Skill for cooking.
"Using technique in every detail of daily life is a good idea. What is your view of what just happened?"
Wu Ling thought briefly, then analyzed, "After entering a new environment, I was absorbed by the change in scenery and relaxed my guard. That was extremely dangerous. If not for Mind's Eye, I might have needed you to act just now, Grandpa Ghost."
"Mm. Not bad. Your later performance was indeed excellent, but if you could not avoid the first ambush, everything afterward would be empty talk.
"Still, you do not need to be disappointed. Defeating a nine-hundred-year Sharp-Scale Serpent without using a Spirit Skill is already very impressive.
"Your early evasion and defense, the body that supported your movement, and the final theory of using liquor to attack the enemy all showed the things you have learned these past two years to their fullest."
Hearing Ghost's praise, Wu Ling smiled a little shyly.
"However, after you obtain your second Spirit Ring, your plan needs to change.
"Combat technique is important, but spirit power is the true foundation. Even with innate full spirit power, you cannot sustain yourself if you refine spirit power only at night.
"Technique can give you an advantage in the early stages. But when you reach the later stages, especially after becoming a Titled Sage, the gap between each level grows larger and larger. Technique alone cannot make up for that.
"So, after you obtain your second Spirit Ring, cut your theory and combat training time in half. Add the extra time to spirit power refinement."
Wu Ling understood Ghost's point very well. More than ten years later, a genius named Feng Xiaotian would appear. He also had innate full spirit power and a mutated Martial Soul, but because he was too obsessed with creating his own Spirit Skills in the early stage, he neglected spirit power cultivation. In the end, he only became a vice dean of one of the Four Element Academies. His ending was just that. He faded from people's eyes.
Wu Ling naturally knew the saying that fish and bear paws could not both be obtained. But he also knew that this was only true when one lacked the ability.
"It is fine. I have already planned it out. Once I obtain my second Spirit Ring, this problem will solve itself."
"That confident? Can you tell me what Soul Beast it is?"
"A Ghost Tiger that just reached one thousand years. I saw in Spirit Hall's records that someone encountered it one year ago near the middle reaches of this river." As he spoke, Wu Ling pointed downstream toward the middle section of the river.
When Wu Ling mentioned the Ghost Tiger, Ghost understood his thinking.
"A thousand-year second ring is possible with your physical quality. But if it is a Ghost Tiger, Wu Ling, are you aiming for a clone?
"That kind of clone is usually temporary, and it does not have much learning ability. Your plan may fail."
Wu Ling waved it off casually. "Do not worry, Grandpa Ghost. I am still somewhat confident. After all, have you ever seen a first Spirit Skill like mine?"
Seeing Wu Ling's confident look, Ghost fell silent again. Indeed, Wu Ling's Martial Soul could not be judged by common sense. A single Proudbone Swallow had produced such a heaven-defying Spirit Skill. If a Ghost Tiger produced a clone that might help with cultivation, that did not seem impossible to accept.
"Fine. You understand your own situation best, so decide for yourself."
In the blink of an eye, Ghost vanished from Wu Ling's sight again. Wu Ling's smile gradually faded with him, and he could only wash the leftover dishes with a blank expression.
After washing the utensils clean, Wu Ling returned them to his storage ring, where they waited for their next use.
Because Wu Ling wanted to complete his goal as quickly as possible, he did not rest properly. Instead, he replaced most of his sleep with cultivation, then took a short nap.
Once he had recovered to his best condition, Wu Ling set out again. First, he identified the direction, then began moving toward the middle reaches of the river.
Along the way, Wu Ling encountered several Soul Beasts blocking his path. Since it was still night, most were snakes or insects. Only one owl and one lone wolf were animal-type Soul Beasts.
Near dawn, around four or five in the morning, Wu Ling reached his destination.
The moment he entered the Ghost Tiger's range of activity, he found a sign. He suddenly crouched beneath a shrub and looked at the fresh red staining the green leaves. A guess formed in his heart.
"This blood is still fresh. It should be no more than half an hour old. The Ghost Tiger is probably eating at its most absorbed right now. If I ambush it, this is the best current timing.
"But a thousand-year beast is still a thousand-year beast. It is better to be careful. The sun will rise in less than an hour. Ambushing after sunrise would also be good.
"Before that, I need to confirm its position."
Following the blood trail, Wu Ling slowly moved deeper into the forest. As he advanced, the traces of blood became more and more numerous.
At last, he reached the outside of a clearing. In the center of the clearing stood an enormous stone almost five meters tall.
Looking at the opening at the top of the stone, Wu Ling guessed, "This is probably the Ghost Tiger's den. Other than that Ghost Tiger corpse, there is nothing around here, so I just need to wait...
"Wait. The Ghost Tiger's corpse!"
Wu Ling suddenly realized what he had seen. He carefully looked at the corpse again and confirmed that it was indeed a Ghost Tiger.
"What is going on? Who killed the Ghost Tiger? So the blood I followed belonged to the Ghost Tiger? What about my second Spirit Ring?"
Just as Wu Ling frowned in thought, a pitch-black creature with a hint of purple crawled out from the opening in the stone.
Wu Ling froze slightly when he saw that Soul Beast.
"After mountains and rivers blocked every path, flowers and willows reveal another village. No wonder the Ghost Tiger was killed. If this thing becomes my second Spirit Ring, would it not be even better than the Ghost Tiger?"